At one stage, India threatened to fire at least six missiles at Pakistan, and Islamabad said it would respond with its own missile strikes "three times over", according to Western diplomats and government sources in New Delhi, Islamabad and Washington.

The way in which tensions suddenly worsened and threatened to trigger a war between the nuclear-armed nations shows how the Kashmir region remains one of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints.

The exchanges did not get beyond threats, and there was no suggestion that the missiles involved were anything more than conventional weapons, but they created consternation in official circles in Washington, Beijing and London.

Reuters has pieced together the events that led to the most serious military crisis in South Asia since 2008, as well as the concerted diplomatic efforts to get both sides to back down.

The simmering dispute erupted into conflict late last month when Indian and Pakistani warplanes engaged in a dogfight over Kashmir on Feb 27, a day after a raid by Indian jet fighters on what it said was a terrorist camp in Pakistan.

In their first such clash since the last war between the two nations in 1971, Pakistan downed an Indian plane and captured its pilot after he ejected in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

"NO GOING BACK"
That evening, Indian National Security Adviser

Ajit Doval
spoke over a secure line to the head of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI),

Asim Munir
, to tell him India was not going to back off its new campaign of "counter terrorism" even after the pilot’s capture, an Indian government source and a Western diplomat with knowledge of the conversations told Reuters in New Delhi.

Doval told Munir that India's fight was with the terrorist groups that freely operated from Pakistani soil and it was prepared to escalate, said the government source.

A Pakistani government minister and a Western diplomat in Islamabad separately confirmed a specific Indian threat to use six missiles on targets inside Pakistan. They did not specify who delivered the threat or who received it, but the minister said Indian and Pakistani intelligence agencies "were communicating with each other during the fight, and even now they are communicating with each other".

Pakistan said it would counter any Indian missile attacks with many more launches of its own, the minister told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"We said if you will fire one missile, we will fire three. Whatever India will do, we will respond three times to that," the Pakistani minister said.

Doval’s office did not respond to a request for comment. India was not aware of any missile threat issued to Pakistan, a government official said in reply to a Reuters request for comment.

Pakistan’s military declined to comment and Munir could not be reached for comment. Pakistan’s foreign ministry did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

TRUMP-KIM TALKS
The crisis unfolded as US President Donald Trump was trying to hammer out an agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi over its nuclear programme.

US security advisor Bolton was on the phone with Doval on the night of Feb 27 itself, and into the early hours of Feb 28, the second day of the Trump-Kim talks, in an attempt to defuse the situation, the Western diplomat in New Delhi and the Indian official said.

Later, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was also in Hanoi, also called both sides to seek a way out of the crisis.

“Secretary Pompeo led diplomatic engagement directly, and that played an essential role in de-escalating the tensions between the two sides,” State Department deputy spokesperson Robert Palladino said in a briefing in Washington on March 5.

A State Department official declined comment when asked if they knew of the threats to use missiles.

US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral Phil Davidson told reporters in Singapore last week that he had separately been in touch with the Indian navy chief, Sunil Lanba, throughout the crisis. There was no immediate response from Lanba’s office to a question on the nature of the conversations.

US efforts were focused on securing the quick release of the Indian pilot by Pakistan and winning an assurance from India it would pull back from the threat to fire rockets, the Western diplomat in New Delhi and officials in Washington said.

"We made a lot of effort to get the international community involved in encouraging the two sides to de-escalate the situation because we fully realized how dangerous it was," said a senior Trump administration official.

The Pakistani minister said China and the United Arab Emirates also intervened. China’s foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment. The government of the UAE said Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan held talks with both Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister

India has not given details, but has said it was in touch with major powers during the conflict.

On the morning of Feb 28, Trump told reporters in Hanoi that he expected the crisis to end soon.

“They have been going at it and we have been involved in trying to have them stop. Hopefully that is going to be coming to an end.”

Later that afternoon, Khan announced in Pakistan’s parliament that the Indian pilot would be released, and he was sent back the next day.

"I know last night there was a threat there could a missile attack on Pakistan, which got defused," Khan said. "I know, our army stood prepared for retaliation of that attack."

The two countries have gone to war three times since both gained independence in 1947, the last time in 1971. The two armies are trading fire along the line of control that separates them in Kashmir, but the tensions appear contained for now.

Diplomatic experts said that the latest crisis underlined the chances of misread signals and unpredictability in the ties between the nuclear-armed rivals, and the huge dangers.

“Indian and Pakistani leaders have long evinced confidence that they can understand each other’s deterrence signals and can de-escalate at will,” said Joshua White, a former White House official who is now at Johns Hopkins.

“The fact that some of the most basic facts, intentions and attempted strategic signals of this crisis are still shrouded in mystery ... should be a sobering reminder that neither country is in a position to easily control a crisis once it begins.”.

Pakistan said it would counter any Indian missile attacks with many more launches of its own, the minister told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"We said if you will fire one missile, we will fire three. Whatever India will do, we will respond three times to that," the Pakistani minister said.

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If India fired 6 missiles and Pakistan fired 18 in return, then India would have fired back 54 missiles and at that rate Pakistan would have run out of missiles far before India as number of missiles in Indian inventory is far higher.

If India fired 6 missiles and Pakistan fired 18 in return, then India would have fired back 54 missiles and at that rate Pakistan would have run out of missiles far before India as number of missiles in Indian inventory is far higher.

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Or India would have simply backed down after 18 missiles taking out Indian targets as was the case after Pakistan stuck India had to backed down.

If India fired 6 missiles and Pakistan fired 18 in return, then India would have fired back 54 missiles and at that rate Pakistan would have run out of missiles far before India as number of missiles in Indian inventory is far higher.

Or India would have simply backed down after 18 missiles taking out Indian targets as was the case after Pakistan stuck India had to backed down.

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All the Pakistani bombs missed and did not cause any damage or casualties so no need to retaliate.

Anyways Pakistan's former CJCSC Ehsan Ul Haq himself said 2 weeks back in a TV talk show that larger the war between India and Pakistan expands more will Pakistan's disadvantage increase.
As an example he said in a skirmish in one sector of LoC both sides will be equal but if the war expands to all along international border after India opens multiple fronts, Pakistan will be at a severe disadvantage and will be forced to rely on nukes.

India will face international sanctions if they fire Missiles. Remember 1998 sanctions?
New sanction will hurt india badly.
We have nothing to lose if Pak get sanctions as we already close to bankrupt, but India has everything to lose , it's economy , it's progress , and & to face isolation .

Pakistan has missiles too in arsenal, I don't think we will sit quite and wait our missiles & weapons to retire if war is imposed on us.

If India fired 6 missiles and Pakistan fired 18 in return, then India would have fired back 54 missiles and at that rate Pakistan would have run out of missiles far before India as number of missiles in Indian inventory is far higher.

If India fired 6 missiles and Pakistan fired 18 in return, then India would have fired back 54 missiles and at that rate Pakistan would have run out of missiles far before India as number of missiles in Indian inventory is far higher.

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I was thinking thousands if not millions of people could die on both sides after reading the article.
But you are counting the missiles Pakistan could fire?
You rss shaakhaas made you sick.fully dehumanised.

If India fired 6 missiles and Pakistan fired 18 in return, then India would have fired back 54 missiles and at that rate Pakistan would have run out of missiles far before India as number of missiles in Indian inventory is far higher.

If India fired 6 missiles and Pakistan fired 18 in return, then India would have fired back 54 missiles and at that rate Pakistan would have run out of missiles far before India as number of missiles in Indian inventory is far higher.

Click to expand...

What a foolish analysis. There is such a thing called supply chain. We have the ability to fight a hundred year war whilst being supplied weapons by friendly states.

If India fired 6 missiles and Pakistan fired 18 in return, then India would have fired back 54 missiles and at that rate Pakistan would have run out of missiles far before India as number of missiles in Indian inventory is far higher.

Click to expand...

If then if then if then

This is the world you delusional indians just live in nowadays. All of these opinions are just brain farts of a loser whose entire military got caught pants down. World simply doesnt work like bollywood where one person kills hundreds with bare hands. In real world you get your arses blown sky high and get your pilots captured.